Andrew Mason

Although more than a few quarterbacks in NFL history had thrown for 300 yards, three touchdowns and a completion percentage at or above 70 in consecutive games—as next week's foe, Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, did in Weeks 2 and 3—no one had ever done it in three straight games.

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Manning now has done it in four.

Obviously, it won't continue forever. But what Manning's return to vintage form has done is force defenses into pick-your-poison mode. New Orleans kept its safeties back early Sunday night; Manning responded by audibling into four consecutive handoffs to Willis McGahee. When the Saints bit on a play-fake on the following snap, he easily found Demaryius Thomas downfield for a 41-yard gain.

This is why Manning and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy preached balance in the offseason, even referring to play-action as the third phase of the offense.

The Broncos' multidimensional offense has paced the ascension from explosive to lethal. It also is poised to have big days even if Manning doesn't have enough opportunities to hit 300 yards—as could be the case in the next nine games, when the Broncos face eight teams that currently have losing records, with four games against teams currently 1-6.

It's hard to imagine Denver's offense being better than it has in the past six quarters, when it has accounted for 55 points. But if defenses have to take the running game seriously, and if Manning handing off to McGahee starts resembling the quarterback's work with Edgerrin James several years ago in Indianapolis, its finest performances are still to come—a frightening proposition for the rest of the AFC.

Hillman on the rise: Rookie running back Ronnie Hillman is slowly, steadily earning the confidence of his coaches as McGahee's backup. Hillman's ability to pick up blitzes has improved after it was so shaky in August and September that he was dropped to fourth string, which meant he was inactive in Weeks 1 and 2. He moved up in Week 3 after Knowshon Moreno fumbled in Week 2 and gradually has adapted.

Like McGahee, Hillman also will be a primary beneficiary of Manning's cool efficiency; the seams he had Sunday against an off-balance Saints defense were the widest he has seen, and he sailed through the gaps for 6.1 yards per carry. There will come a point when Hillman has to spell McGahee, and for the first time, he appears ready for the extended role.